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TANIT - Islamic Faith

NPS

Tanit is the recognized symbol of Islamic faith, even though it was not originally part of the religion being that it was not found in the Qur’an. It became associated with Islamic faith in how it was first adopted by the Ottoman Empire, who was a large advocate of Islam. After the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and the rise of modern Turkey, Turkey was the only represented Muslim country existing, and so because the Turks used the Tanit symbol in regards to their religion, it was eventually the accepted symbol of Islamic faith. This symbol as a part of the monument represents African Muslims, and how many of their burials consisted of a ring of rocks, or simple shrouds, as traditional Muslim burials were. There were many West African Muslims that were forced to America -- approximately 20% of the enslaved peoples were Muslim.